accept

Definition of accept

transitive verb

1a: to receive (something offered) willingly accept a giftb: to be able or designed to take or hold (something applied or added) a surface that will not accept ink

2: to give admittance or approval to accept her as one of the group

3a: to endure without protest or reaction accept poor living conditionsb: to regard as proper, normal, or inevitablean idea that is widely acceptedc: to recognize as true :believerefused to accept the explanation

4a: to make a favorable response to accept an offerb: to agree to undertake (a responsibility) accept a job

5: to assume an obligation to pay; also: to take in payment we don't accept personal checks

6of a deliberative body: to receive (a legislative report) officially

intransitive verb

: to receive favorably something offered —usually used with ofa heart more disposed to accept of his — Jane Austen

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Examples of accept in a Sentence

When Bess was born, my mother had a hard time accepting many of our parenting choices. —Kelly Coyle DiNorcia, Mothering, March & April 2008

Despite Alexander's general skepticism about speed measurements, he does accept the cheetah as probably the fastest known running species. The measurement he finds most reliable, 29 m/s (about 65 mph), comes from a 1997 record along a 200-meter course clocked by an experienced timekeeper for athletic races. —Susan Milius, Science News, 16 Aug. 2008

The Edinburgh Christ in the House of Martha and Mary doesn't look like a Vermeer, although its signature has been accepted as genuine. —James Fenton, New York Review of Books, 6 Nov. 2008

They offered him the job, and he accepted it.

They offered him the job, and he accepted.

The store doesn't accept credit cards.

a surface that will not accept ink

a computer program ready to accept commands

They accepted some applications and rejected others.

She's still trying to get her manuscript accepted for publication.

They refused to accept his resignation.

a word that has come to be accepted as standard

This treatment is now accepted by many doctors.

Recent Examples of accept from the Web

JLL will accept offers contingent on obtaining zoning from the city for the new construction, Kirschbraun said.

The Estill County dump that accepted radioactive waste has agreed to install monitors, fund school radon testing and develop a corrective action plan, under an agreement with the Kentucky Energy and Environment Cabinet announced in November.

The official Trump-Putin meeting, earlier in the day, led to confusion over whether Trump agreed, as Putin later implied, to accept the Kremlin's denial of any wrongdoing regarding interference in last year's election.

On Monday, Big 12 football begins a two-day talk-a-thon to raise interest, not money, although donations for struggling academic programs will be accepted, in the Land That Other Football Big-Time Zones Forgot.

These example sentences are selected automatically from various online news sources to reflect current usage of the word 'accept.' Views expressed in the examples do not represent the opinion of Merriam-Webster or its editors. Send us feedback.

accepting

Word Root of accept

The Latin word capere, meaning “to seize” or “to take,” and its form captus give us the roots cap, capt, and cept. Words from the Latin capere have something to do with taking. To capture is to take something or someone by using force. To accept is to take something willingly. Anyone capable of doing something is able to take on that task.

Law Dictionary

accept

Legal Definition of accept

1a: to receive with consent accept a giftaccept serviceb: to assent to the receipt of and treat in such a way as to indicate ownership of accepted the shipment despite discovering defects in the merchandise — compare rejectEditor's note: Under section 2-606(1) of the Uniform Commercial Code, a buyer accepts goods if: 1) he or she indicates to the seller after a reasonable opportunity to inspect them that he or she will keep them; 2) he or she fails to effectively reject them; 3) he or she acts in a way that is inconsistent with the seller's ownership of the goods.

2: to make an affirmative or favorable response to; specifically: to indicate by words or action one's assent to (an offer) and willingness to enter into a contract Editor's note: A contract is created when the offer is accepted.

3: to assume orally, in writing, or by conduct an obligation to pay accepting a draft

4of a deliberative body: to receive (a report) officially (as from a committee)

intransitive verb

1: to receive favorably something offered —usually used with ofno person…shall…accept of any present — U.S. Constitution art. I

2: to receive and assume ownership of goods under section 2-606(1), buyer has accepted if he has done any of the acts described therein — J. J. White and R. S. Summers